Becca Teale’s tattoos are easy to notice, but the stories behind them are what make the collection stick. The Brentford Women defender has built a loose visual language around vines, birds, small numbers and short reminders. Some pieces are there because they mean something to her. Others are simply tattoos she loves looking at. She’s refreshingly honest about both.
Her own tattoo tour breaks the collection into a handful of clear ideas. The hands are covered in vines because she liked the look and wanted something that stayed visible. Birds sit on the side of one arm with no dramatic backstory at all. A number 11 remembers a family dog, while the words “Balance” and “Don’t lose yourself” act like small notes to herself. She also has an “L” higher up her arm for Lola.
That combination gives Teale’s ink a relaxed, lived-in feel. There’s meaning, but there’s no pressure for every line to carry a life lesson. She has called the tattoos her “stickers” for working hard, and that is probably the best way to understand them: a collection gathered because the designs felt right at the time.
Vines run across both hands
Teale started with her hands, doing the right hand in one session and immediately deciding that the left needed to join in. The main theme is a set of vines winding over both hands. Because the work sits in such an exposed place, she knew it would be seen all the time. That was part of the appeal.
She has explained that she had always noticed women with hand tattoos and thought the look was cool. Lots of people avoid the placement because it cannot easily be covered, but Teale liked that it was different. The vines give the hands a softer, more organic shape rather than turning them into a collection of isolated symbols.
There’s also a practical side to the design. Vines can move around knuckles and fingers without looking too boxed in, which makes them a good fit for a busy placement. They can be extended later, and Teale has already said she wants to continue the same idea across her collarbones. The theme gives the collection a bit of continuity without forcing every tattoo to match.
Birds sit on the side of her arm
Her favourite tattoo is the group of birds on the side of her arm. Teale is quite open about the fact that this one does not have a particular meaning. She simply loves the way it looks from different angles, which is a useful reminder that a tattoo does not need a memorial, date or hidden message to earn its place.
The placement lets the birds change as her arm moves. From one position, the shapes read as a small arrangement; from another, they become part of the arm’s overall flow. That kind of movement is probably why the piece works so well next to the more structured hand vines.
There’s something nice about calling this her favourite while also saying it means nothing specific. The reason is visual, and that is enough. Teale’s tattoo collection is stronger because she leaves room for pieces that are just enjoyable to look at.
The number 11 remembers Lola
The most meaningful piece she discusses is the number 11 on her right hand. It marks the age her first family dog, Lola, died. Teale says the loss was hard for the whole family, so the number became a small and permanent way to keep that memory close.
Unlike a full portrait or a long piece of lettering, the 11 is easy to miss. That makes the story feel especially personal. It is not trying to explain itself to everyone who sees it. Teale knows what it means, and the people close to her may know too. The design works as a private marker that happens to sit in plain sight.
She also has a letter L higher up her arm, another reference to Lola. Taken together, the two marks create a quiet memorial spread across different parts of the body. One is immediately visible on the hand; the other becomes a detail to find further up the arm.
“Balance” sits on the right side of her neck
On the right-hand side of her neck, Teale has the word “Balance”. Her explanation is straightforward: balance matters in relationships, football, work, food and pretty much everything else. It is a broad idea, but that makes sense for a word tattoo placed somewhere so visible.
Neck lettering can feel quite loud even when the word is small. “Balance” avoids sounding like a slogan because Teale connects it to everyday life rather than presenting it as a grand statement. It is more like a checkpoint. When football is intense or work starts taking over, the word gives her something simple to return to.
The tattoo also adds a clean text element to a collection otherwise dominated by vines and birds. The contrast keeps the designs from blending together. It is a short word, but it gives the surrounding work a different rhythm.
“Don’t lose yourself” is a reminder for difficult days
Teale has the words “Don’t lose yourself” on her right hand. She got it during a period when she was feeling low, and she describes it as a reminder to keep going when things get difficult. The message is direct without being overly polished. It sounds like something a friend might say at the exact moment you need to hear it.
She has also connected the tattoo to football. The phrase helps her avoid taking what happens on the pitch home with her. That makes the hand a fitting placement: she sees the words while she is working, training and dealing with the physical, public side of the game.
There is a useful difference between this piece and “Balance.” “Balance” is a broad principle, while “Don’t lose yourself” feels more immediate. One is about keeping different parts of life in proportion; the other is about holding onto your sense of self when a day gets heavy.
Her collection is meaningful without taking itself too seriously
Teale’s tattoos sit somewhere between a scrapbook and a uniform. The vines create a recognisable thread across both hands, while the birds add something she chose simply because she liked the view. The number 11 and the L remember Lola. The neck lettering gives her two short phrases to carry through work and difficult patches.
What makes the collection work is the mixture. A serious family memory can sit next to a purely visual favourite. A motivational phrase can share space with a design that is there because it looks good. That balance between meaning and enjoyment is the most human thing about the whole set.
Teale also says she is spontaneous with tattoos and does not regret any of them. She goes to the same artist, Jack Callier, for everything, and at the time of her tattoo tour she was already booked in for another appointment. She wanted to extend the vine idea across her collarbones, keeping the next piece fairly small.
That plan fits the rest of her approach. She is not trying to finish a perfectly mapped-out bodysuit. She is adding pieces when the idea feels right, letting the collection grow while keeping a few visual links between old and new work.
What her tattoo tour says about her style
Teale’s ink is visible, but the tone around it is not performative. She can explain the family tattoo in a sentence, admit that the birds have no deeper meaning, and laugh about calling the designs stickers. That honesty keeps the collection from feeling over-written.
It is also a collection that makes sense in motion. Footballers spend so much time running, turning and reaching that a tattoo can look completely different from one frame to the next. The vines break around the hands, the birds shift with the arm, and the short words appear and disappear as sleeves, tape and movement change the view. That changing perspective is part of the appeal of Teale’s choices.
There is a practical confidence in having art where other people can see it. Teale knows the hands and neck will attract questions, but she has chosen designs that she can explain in her own words. The tattoos do not need a guidebook to be attractive, and they do not need to become a performance every time someone notices them. They can simply be hers.
It also makes the placements feel intentional. The hands are on show because she wanted them there. The neck word is visible because it works as a daily reminder. The more private details give her room for memories that do not need to be read by everyone around her.
Her tattoos are still changing, too. The promised collarbone vines suggest that she likes a collection with a little room left in it. There is no final chapter yet, just another appointment and another design waiting to find its place.
Watch the Brentford Women profile and tattoo tour
There was no official YouTube video dedicated solely to Teale’s tattoos, so this relevant Brentford Women profile is included as the closest available look at the player and her team context.